Admissions FAQ:
No. Graduates of all majors are welcome to apply.
The most important requirement for enrollment in the MSWE program is experience with programming. Students must have proficiency in at least two general-purpose programming languages.* This is typically achieved through undergraduate programming courses, self-learning via online tutorials, on-the-job learning, programming-intensive hobbies, or developer boot camps, etc.
*Admitted students in the first year of the program should make every effort to take community college classes in the summer, or follow online tutorials, to fill gaps in their knowledge of programming in Python and Java.
No and no. The MSWE program assumes that you know how to program, and that you are familiar with programming concepts such as functions, variables, loops, conditionals, arrays, lists, etc., in at least two programming languages. The MSWE program will improve your programming skills by several levels, but it does not teach introductory programming.
Eligible domestic students can submit a FAFSA online.
Applications are available every September for matriculation the following fall. Please find more information on how to apply to UCI here.
ALL applicants are encouraged to submit applications and all supplementary materials (i.e. official test scores, letters of recommendation) by December 15.
Domestic students may continue to submit applications through March 15.
No, students are admitted once a year – for the following FALL quarter.
No, the GRE General Test is not required. However, you are welcome to submit official test scores if you have them.
Please review our admissions requirements on this page for more information
No, MSWE students will engage in a capstone project. If you are interested in pursuing research or a doctoral degree, the Master of Science in Software Engineering (MSSE) may be a more appropriate program for you.
Click here to learn about eligibility criteria to waive from the test of English proficiency.
Three professional letters of recommendation are required, but you may submit as many letters as you wish.
As long as you do not have a master’s degree in software engineering, you are welcome to apply to the MSWE program. If your degree is in a similar or related field such as computer sciences, please indicate in your Statement of Purpose what you will gain from the MSWE program that was not offered in your other program.
Program FAQ:
For full-time students, this is a five-quarter academic program (fall, winter, spring, summer, fall). The summer quarter is a mandatory internship. The MSWE program is 15 months, from September of year one to December of year two.
For part-time students, the program will span two years and one quarter. The normative time to degree, in this case, is two years and one quarter, or 27 months, from September of year one to December of year three. Compare the part- and full-time curriculums here.
Yes, domestic students are eligible for part-time study. This option is reserved for students who are working full-time only. We encourage all students not working full-time to study full-time. Please note that part-time students are not eligible to receive fellowships from the program and may be ineligible for financial aid.
Yes, you may submit an application. Note that doctoral and MS students have first priority. We also discourage students to hold TA positions during the first quarter as the workload is extremely heavy.
International students are eligible to work at an on-campus job up to 20 hours per week. You must seek approval from the International Center prior to working. Please see here for details. Domestic students are eligible to work both on-campus and off-campus.
Yes, as a professionally-oriented program, the summer internship is an opportunity to gain more industry experience. Sometimes summer internships result in full-time job offers.
It is still required that you do a summer internship during the second summer of the program. Review the part-time curriculum here. Please contact the Program Director if you have a full-time job to determine if you are eligible for a waiver, or to discuss options to fulfill this requirement.
Not necessarily. Although we expect most internships to offer compensation, it is entirely at the discretion of the employers in which students secure their internships.
The program is intended to improve students’ skills to help them become more confident during technical interviews. If a student is still unable to secure an internship after diligent effort, the student should consult with the Program and Faculty Directors to arrange an assignment with a faculty member or department on campus to develop a concrete software project that provides hands-on experience for the student, and a useful product or service to the faculty or department.
No, classes take place on campus.
To accommodate working professionals, all courses will be offered in the late afternoons and evenings.
No, students can only take the designated courses offered through the program. These include any graduate courses with the moniker SWE and letter P after the course number. The set curriculum can be found here.
No, it does not. MSWE is a terminal degree. If you are interested in pursuing research and/or a PhD in Software Engineering, you should consider the MS Software Engineering (MSSE) program.
Funding FAQ
Yes, we offer a limited number of fellowships to full-time domestic students each year. There is no separate application. We will award fellowships based on your online application. To avoid delays, we recommend that all eligible domestic students submit a FAFSA soon after submitting the program application.
Part-time students are ineligible to receive program fellowships and may not be eligible for financial aid.
The Master of Software Engineering (MSWE) program is considered a self-supporting program and therefore ineligible for the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) College Fee Waiver program. However, you can use your U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) education benefits. Please contact the Veteran Services Center for more information.
Career Development FAQ
As a student in one of ICS’ Professional Master’s Programs, you have access to a dedicated Career Development team that will provide you career development and job search support during your program.
Visit the CODE website and the Student FAQ page for more information.
